New speed records are established at Big Butler Fair

Prospect, PA --- The Big Butler Fair opened a two-day stand as the second stop on the 2016 Pennsylvania fair circuit on Thursday (June 30), and the northwest Pennsylvania oval has never remotely seen a parade of 2-year-old trotting speed as it did, with track records for both sexes obliterated.

Butler traditionally races just before the Fourth Of July, so quick baby miles, especially from trotters, could not be expected – the old marks were 2:09.1 for colts and 2:08.2 for fillies. But we’re glad nobody showed Thursday's (June 30) freshmen the record books before they raced.

The Broadway Hall gelding Toolbox Tuesday was the first recordbreaker to take to the track, and he left the old divisional Butler standard somewhere over by the Ohio line as he roared home in 2:05.3 – yes, 3 3/5 seconds faster than the male mark established by KT Tag I’m It in 2010. The fast freshman made quite an impression in breaking his maiden for trainer/driver Roger Hammer, who is also the co-owner with Vicki Fair.

The fillies weren’t about to miss out on the record action on the fine fairgrounds half-miler, and the Lucky Chucky filly Lovebeinglucky stopped the stopwatch in 2:05.4, leaving the old mark of 2:08.2, set by Trustworthy Gal in 2014, way up the stretch. Lovebeinglucky, trained and driven , and owned in partnership with his wife Regina, by Rick Beinhauer, continued Beinhauer’s assault on the fair record book – in two stops he’s had this mile, and he drove the 3-year-old Major Matter, who’s in at Butler Friday (July 1) , to a 2:04 victory which equaled the fastest trot mile ever during Wattsburg’s 2016 seasonal opener.

Roger Hammer also trained the fastest winning freshman pacer of the day with the final time being 2:05.3, just like Hammer’s trotter Toolbox Tuesday. The fast pacer was a filly, the Delmarvalous miss Marvalous B T, who was driven here by Steve Schoeffel for conditioner/owner/breeder Hammer.

The speed show continued at The Big Butler Fair on Friday (July 1) with three-year-olds featured and the rapidly-developing Western Terror pacing gelding Star Of Terror equaled the 24-year-old all-age mark of 2:00.2 in winning his division of the Pennsylvania Fair Sire Stakes.

The youngster was eligible for non-winners-of-three events prior to Friday (July 1), as he was lightly campaigned at two, although he won a Stallion Series event at Pocono in his career debut. His ownership, Fortunate One LLC, put him in the care of top trainer Jason Shaw before the start of this season, and Star Of Terror overcame the trailing post seven in a mile with fractions of :29, :59.2, and 1:30 before winning in 2:00.2 for Jason’s brother, driver Chris Shaw. This equaled the record set exactly 24 years to the day previously by Audie K, who was a 4-year-old when setting the mark. The mile, fastest of the young fair season, also eclipsed the Butler facility's 3-year-old male pacing mark of 2:00.4 that Royaltyhasarrived set on July 3 last year, and lowered the overall mark for sophomores that the filly Rascality had hung up 12 years ago to the day.

Also causing an alteration in the record tables was a 2:03.4 victory for the sophomore trotting filly Regal Woman in her Sire Stakes cut, which equaled the Butler divisional standard first notched one year minus two days ago by Missive. Shawn Johnston had sulky duties behind the daughter of SJ’s Caviar for trainer Gary Johnston and owner/breeder Dr. William Solomon.

The Shaw brothers visited Victory Lane four times on Friday (July 1), six times overall in the two-day session, and ten times at the first two fair stops to top all competition so far. Interestingly, for the season there is a three-way tie for second in both the trainer and driver standings, with five wins each. On the drivers side, second is shared by Rick Beinhauer, Dave Brickell, and Roger Hammer; on the trainers side, the tied trio are … Beinhauer, Brickell, and Hammer as well.

FINISHING LINES – The Pennsylvania Fair Circuit heads east for its third seasonal stop next Saturday and Sunday, with Sire Stakes and Quaker State racing at the slick oval at Gratz, a little east of center state.